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PVV/Review – in the eyes of Stormy

(In this review, Happy Endings is a PVV Recommended Film)

I love multi-faceted. I also love people who can do more than just one thing. This is why I love the force of nature that is Stormy Daniels.

Stormy began working as an adult performer in the early 2000s, and she quickly became of the industry’s top stars and most recognizable faces. Then, somewhere in the mid-2000s, Stormy began doing something wild – she started writing and developing her own scripts. Then she started directing her own films.

(pictured: check out some of Stormy’s directorial projects in the PVV Store here)

Today, with over 30 directorial projects under her belt, Stormy Daniels is one of the most well-respected, creative, and technically superior directors in the adult business. She also continues to perform in many of her projects, making her a triple-threat in the most un/conventional sense.

One of the most interesting things about Stormy’s work is its broad scope. She does comedy… but she also does romance, action, and dark drama with heavy intense themes. And she does each of these things rather well.

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s take a mini-tour through the eyes of Stormy (and some of her recent work), and I’ll show ya…

The Escort (2011)

Let’s start off heavy – The Escort is dark.

In this film, Stormy plays Theresa, a well-off housewife who’s kinda bored and maybe a little insecure. She and her husband Sam (Marcus London) have been married for almost ten years, and lately things haven’t been going so well. He seems distant and is working late (a lot), and she suspects there’s someone else. At the nudging of her best friends (India Summer and Raylene), Theresa hires a beautiful escort (played so cold and perfect by Andy San Dimas) to tempt her husband and test his faithfulness…

…and then bad stuff happens. I won’t reveal too much, but let’s just say that the escort has plans of her own and Stormy’s Theresa totally didn’t see it coming. It’s icky and so good.

But The Escort is more than just a good story – it’s a well-done story that’s executed in a believable fashion. There’s no out-of-place sex in this film, nor are there any outlandish scenarios. The one instance that might have caused an incredulous viewer to go “yeah right” is couched as Theresa’s uncomfortable dream, which really adds to the film’s tenor of emotional and psychological struggle.

Further, the casting and performances are really singular. As I said, Andy is excellent as the manipulative escort. Similarly, Stormy plays the sad, slightly desperate (and slightly pathetic), accidentally reactionary, and ultimately horrified Theresa almost uncomfortably well. And India and Raylene work perfectly as Theresa’s “devil” and “angel” (respectively) buddies.

Blow is ambitious!! It was shot in Florida, and a lot of it takes place outside (not the sex parts). Outside includes a rainy day, one of those swamp-tour catamaran things, and a speed boat in the ocean. There’re also guns and fight scenes, intrigue and manipulation!!

In a nutshell: some guy named Cade (Brendon Miller) steals a drug shipment out from under the nose of dealer Ricardo Valdez (Jack Vegas) and his wife, Lydia (Stormy). Cade then blackmails Ricardo and Lydia into becoming partners with his gang, The Sinners. But then Lydia falls for Cade, who’s actually an undercover FBI agent out to bring down both The Sinners and the bigger cartel of which Ricardo is only part.

The whole thing culminates in an epic fight scene and plot twist that really leaves you wondering… was that happening all along, or did that just happen when…? (or was it some other way!!?)

Blow is good (in part) because it’s not safe. The plot was complex and pulled off in a legit manner. From the big locations to the small prop touches, you can see Stormy really extending herself here.

Let’s finish this off happy because it’s not possible for a film to be cuter than Happy Endings!! Honestly.

The plot is familiar, almost cliche:

Opposites attract, but can they survive and get their own happy ending? Hannah (Gracie Glam) and Scott (Brendon Miller) are like night and day. She is granola, he is metal. She owns a spa, he is a tattoo artist. She enjoys yoga, he likes beer.

Yet despite their differences, it’s love at first sight. That is, until their meddling best friends Alexis and Doug (Stormy Daniels and Barrett Blade) convince each of them that the other is having an affair. After some poorly planned and disastrous detective work, Hannah and Scott go their separate ways.

Realizing how miserable they have made their friends, it is now up to Alexis and Doug to fix the mess they have made. And who knows? They may even get a happy ending of their own along the way…

You’ve seen this movie before, right? Wrong!!

Happy Endings is soooo funny. The title sequence alone, which juxtaposes Hannah and Scott so supremely, is worth the price of admission… but the film stays solid throughout. With hilarious (seriously) dialogue like…

“A litterbug is a deal-breaker.”

“Why do you smell like boy?”

“Tofu is meant to feed hippies!!”

…being delivered with excellent comic timing (truthfully) from the four main characters and a lesbian tattoo artist sidekick chic (played by Andy San Dimas), I was laughing out loud from beginning to end. Gracie Glam is almost too charming for words, and Barrett Blade really shines in this film – his character suffers great indignation (like waxed balls, hehe) as Scott’s solid team player bff, and he delivers one of the sweetest/funniest “monologues” I’ve ever heard at the end of the film.

Whatsmore, like The Escort, none of the sex in this film is outlandish or unnecessary. The five boy-girl scenes do nothing but add to a precious, feel-good romantic comedy that, in my opinion, was the best of this particular trio.

So I gotta say – if you’re looking for a great creative story, be it comedy or romance or dark drama or intrigue, that’s well-executed… and/or if you’re looking for high-end adult content that’s hott and genre-appropriately pretty/intense/sexy/etc without ever getting too crazy, look no further than a Stormy Daniels film from Wicked Pictures.

For a complete list of films directed by Stormy Daniels, go here. Though not reviewed here, some other Dr. Chauntelle recommended titles include Sleeping Around (2006) and Operation: Desert Stormy (2007).

Notables

The Escort, Blow, and Happy Endings were all written and directed by Stormy Daniels for Wicked Pictures. Each film comes with a bonus scene, gallery, and other standard BTS fare.